Solstice...

Rain coming in at forty-five degree angle
making me carry my umbrella like a shield,
for am i not battling the elements?
The bursts of wind and staccato sounds
of the rain as it falls to sidewalks,
awash in water and waves
The overflow from the curbs
spread in gentle waves
that are bombarded by rain
in sheets soaked in water
Cars crawl past,
windshield wipers,
working furiously
but not fast enough to allow
clear vision for more than thirty feet,
kicking up rolling splashes;
jettisoned like depth charges
seeking the submerged sub
but in actuality
beleaguered pedestrians,
some with the tattered remains
of a once proud umbrella
soon to find residence
in the next passing trash can
First day of winter,
if one can believe
The world is not ending,
i won't start to believe
unless it's been raining
for forty days and forty nights
              12-21-12

My Mirror Soul...

Have never heard your voice,
just words upon a page
but you were there
when i needed someone
in my pain, frustration and rage
A mirror to my soul
to make me see clearly
i have never met you at all
but i can say i love you dearly
and we are nearly the same
in our frustrations at this game
that we never chose to play
but we all have to anyway
if the good die young
and the good guys finish last
we'll be friends for eternity
having the last laugh...
        03-01-10

Moonglow...

The Moon cries to me,
she never lies to me
on nights such as these
she lets me see
what lies beneath her pale mantle
An enchanted world;
where owls sail,
where coyotes wail
at the fullness in their souls
i am whole in this light,
i am girded for whatever fight
an optimistic Errant Knight
looking for the right,
looking to win back control
over the foolishness of Man
that has continued since Time began,
in the moonlight is where i am
a creature belonging to this world...
          03-01-10

The Waking Dream...

It's is almost funny
how nothing is as bad
as you make it seem
You can make a nightmare
out of your fondest dream
There is more than black and white,
there's a myriad of colors in between
This is what i've come to believe
Seven colors of the rainbow,
seven Wonders of the World,
seven days to every week
seven ways to make things work
All it takes is hope and faith
to believe it's not too late
you can always set things straight
if you put your mind to it...
         03-02-10

Back into Focus...

I'll be right back after a moment,
when i'm sure of where i'm going
and it's so easy to get lost along the way
Here i sit in my darkness,
caught between going and staying
and it's hard to know which way to go
Decisions define your life,
deeper into the darkness
or groping for the light
Making up your mind is easy to do,
it's the first steps we stumble upon...

Spend too much time looking backwards,
trying to make sense of it all
Can be so awkward,
like dreaming, to wake to find what's real
and dreams are that and nothing more,
not harbingers of what's in store
Your dreams are just reflections of your life
Dream on, if it soothes your soul
Dream on if it gives you some control
Sleep well, that is if you think you can
and wake, refreshed, with some kind of plan...

I'll be right back in a moment
'cos your life is like a comet
that burns across the sky
Take all the time that you need,
take heart in that which you believe
for there is nothing more than faith
that gets us through the day...
         12-12-12

Waves of Confusion...

The mournful mist
hanging like a grey shroud
covering the city
in an eerie dimness
Matches my mood today
as i fight the demons
with their teeth sharp and gleaming
as they take their pound of flesh,
rending my soul as they do
Though i know better when i'm better
in the moment i struggle
fighting the fear and desperation
that mounts like piles of garbage
being picked at by birds
as they circle and whirl at the dump
How to withstand,
how to break from the agony
when the grey clouds linger
and hope fades
into confusion and sadness?
Let this wave pass,
give me some respite
from myself and my torment
as i breathe deep and try to dispel
the ache and regret i know all to well
as i sink slowly
into the gaping jaws of Hell
and find my seat reserved...
           12-9-12

Who Mourns for Apollo?...

A message from Mount Olympus,
home of the ancient gods
still hovering round the Parthenon
waiting still for the smell of roast oxen
and wine poured on the stone
The Muses still remain
guiding, giving
as artists ply their craft, their heart
without any real thought
to making a living
The Fates as well
still weave their spells
as the string unwinds
and the scissors cut
But what of the others
why have they not
made themselves known
as in far ago times
when no hero walked alone?
Are they too weak
from lack of tribute
or is it that we have become
our own gods,
dealing life and death,
joy and strife
in amounts too real to compare
to the flashes of lightning?
Perhaps all that is left
is their cries on the wind,
that build until the tempests begin
or their screams that rumble
until the earth begins to tumble
and what we built begins to crumble
man made, destroyed by gods
Perhaps tonight i will offer a loin of beef
and spill a little wine
for more than ever man needs direction
for we are lost within ourselves...
                  12-8-12

Giving and Taking...

It is truly the little things,
the bits of things
the ones that come in small packages
that withstand the ravages of time and space
The little smile, the knowing nod
to remind you that all is not lost
merely misplaced
In the face of bureaucracy,
intimidating and cold
that tries to take hold of your soul,
to dash it down into the ground
in the face of insurmountable odds
and jaded voices belonging to faded faces
that scream they have seen it all before
What door stands closed that cannot be opened,
when hope is strengthened?
What chance will you not take
when faith is restored?
Bravery is not the word
that ends the slavery of the meek
It is the gentle touch
not the rude push
that makes you take that first faltering step
Encouragement that makes you believe
in the light outside the shadows,
the sun behind the rain
(for it is always still there)
All it takes is belief...
       12-7-12

Sudden Shower...

The wind begins
and the skies darken,
the smell of rain assails you
even before you feel the first drop
As the patter of water begins
to play a beat upon the windows
the thunder rolls the dice
to see what kind of shower it will be
Will it be a gentle rain,
falling gently down,
delicate and sweet,
barely touching the ground?
Or will it be a burst of water,
a drenching rain that causes all to scatter?
Or a wind-driven squall,
slanting sideways as it falls?
A lazy mist, barely a wet kiss,
that flutters down like eider down
to form a halo 'round your head?
Welcome rain or cursed rain,
know it is an eternal cycle,
that it will come again
in may forms and many guises
loved by some, by others despised
But as the thunder crackles
and your hair stands on end,
know that as the day is long
the rain will surely come again...
               6-3-12

Crouching Winter, Hidden Sunshine...

Winter waits,
crouching behind the horizon
hiding from the sunshine
that keeps it at bay for yet another day,
looking to spread its cold blanket
upon the Northern regions
of the hemisphere
and bring the rains
to the Southern cousins
A cup of coffee in Styrofoam
warms me from within
as people bundled in layers
hunch their shoulders
against the cold that has increased
in the last few days
Fight the good fight,
keep your face turned
to the warmth and light
If you are prepared
you know you just might
keep the icicles
from piercing your heart...
            11-14-12

Light of Day...

Shades of grey
with bursts of color
as the multi-colored leaves fall,
racing the raindrops to the ground,
a wet splattering on the lawn,
sticking to where they have fallen
A rug of many colors,
shimmering, glistening in the light...
The breeze is cool,
better a sweater in this weather,
in the space between the heat of Summer
and the chill of Fall
Dampness leaving its stamp upon you
in droplets of moisture
clinging to the air around you
What mood has found you
or what has been left for you,
like the early morning paper
flung upon a wet doorstep?
Listen to the hum of the morning,
hear the drumming of your heart,
thoughts come without warning,
things that stop before they start
Visions last for but a moment,
understanding takes a lifetime
One foot in front of the other
seems like such an arduous climb
Break the cycle,
pray for miracles
Fight bad thoughts
that leave you hysterical
Take in the view
and let it calm you
for sometimes  it is all you can do...
               12-6-12

Feel the Warmth...

The weather's changed
in the mad swirl of pre-winter days,
warming to the faces
as people head to places,
destinations unknown
And i watch the tide,
trying to be polite and not to stare
as people scurry past me,
involved within their own lives
not noticing the parade
So many frowns
and scowls with down turned lips
Not feeling the warm sunshine,
just considering this downtime
until they arrive at who knows where

Do you see life,
see the world in wonder and in light?
Or do you see the shadows,
never see the sparrows
that sing softly from the trees?

And i, too, have seen the world,
in shades of broken black and blue
but i still look with longing
wondering when will a song bring
a smile back to my face
Without a trace of sadness that i feel
all too often these past days
i wake and think of the race
and have to pace myself
 to find what's left inside me...
             12-5-12

Slowly Sodden...

A mist that moistens
but leaves no trace on the puddles
as you walk with umbrella in hand
unconcerned with the weather
Cars roll by,
tires making the familiar sound
that only rain can cause;
a swishing, swirling sound,
as tire separates from water
Thoughts as grey as the day,
thinking of past mistakes
and the lessons sorely learned,
leaving pain in their wake
A friend in need,
with nowhere to turn,
troubles me as i cannot help,
for all my care and concern
Sadly laughable;
physician heal thyself,
motes from eyes
and face turned towards the sky
in the supplication of desperation
The things we do
and the things we can't,
the times we rave and rant
This is the season of our discontent,
the time you have lost,
the tears you have spent
Yet, still you keep searching
for the vent
for the air has become stale...
              12-4-12